I hope those who celebrated Passover had a very enjoyable Seder and fun weekend.
Well, did you start your crusade outdoors last weekend?
For the most part it was a gorgeous weekend except for Saturday’s overcast morning. Did you get a chance to go to your garden center to begin picking out what you wanted to plant this spring?
If not, first things first, figure out how much sun and shade you have on your property to determine the percentage of annuals and perennials you will need to purchase.
Also, measure the amount of space you will have for plantings by making a diagram and also labeling it for sun and shade.
Then decide what your budget will be (unless it is the same each year).
Use your budgeted amount for a few trees, as needed, shrubs, perennials, (that come back each year) and your annuals, like colorful impatiens, black-eyed Susans, sweet alyssum, Virginia bluebells etc. (that have to be replanted each year).
There is such a multitude of choices, you need to see which ones tickle your fancy and will make an excellent visual impact and enhance your landscape throughout the summer months.
For the spring, I might suggest flowering Cherry trees, white or pink Dogwoods of different varieties, crabapple, redbud, magnolia, etc.
You can also familiarize yourself with the amazing available choices and indigenous specimens for Long Island and always follow planting instructions that come with our purchase.
Make sure when you prepare yourself for the day of planting, especially from the rays of the sun and that you put on old clothes, knee pads if you are going to be on your knees, protective gloves, suntan lotion, sun glasses and a hat. Next, if you want a tight fit of annuals, plant them as close as you want, but remember they will grow fairly quickly so, I suggest you plant them 6-12 inches apart and sprinkle regularly also, add some general organic plant fertilizer.
The value of adding colorful and well planned out landscaping to your home or at least, at a minimum, cleaning up the outside of your property and adding some flowers by the front areas, mulch, edge the flower beds, etc. that will assist you gaining curb appeal.
However, for every dollar you invest into your landscape, you potentially can gain back up to $5.
A few pointers when planting:
1. Plantings should be maintained below windows so that the are never blocking your view
2. It is always advisable to use shrubbery that can hide drainpipes or other unsightly objects that will take away from your home, but that will compliment your landscape.
3. Never plant trees close to your foundation, especially those with surface roots, so they do not cause potentially expensive damage in the future.
4. Very shade tolerant ground cover should be used where grass will not proliferate or where the soil is structure is substandard.
These are just some basic suggestions and there is a lot more to be said about renovating and upgrading your landscape to add excellent value to your home prior to putting it on the market.
You will surely obtain other ideas and concepts on the previous links that I have provided for your edification.
Philip A. Raices is the owner of Turn Key Real Estate in Great Neck. He can be reached by email: Phil@TurnKeyRealEstate.Com or by Cell, (516) 647-4289 to answer any of your questions. To search for property, see what your home is worth or homes that have sold in your area, go to: WWW.Li-RealEstate.Com
